A variety of golf skill practice devices are present in the prior art. These usually consist of an upright structure with a variety of "targets", such as cups, apertures and the like arranged on the uprights structure. U.S. Pat. No. 1,719,240 discloses a golf game which has a vertical line of "targets" or flaps. The golf ball must hit the desired target with enough force to disengage the target. Some additionally include a golfing tee set away from the upright structure. All involve the use of a golf ball and golf club. Some of the devices are quite complex and include electronic score keeping which can be both expensive and bulky. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,336,939 discloses a golf game with electronic scoring. The square target is horizontally positioned with several scoring pockets. Others are collapsible, lightweight, and portable.
Several of the prior art devices have a plurality of pockets or apertures for receiving the golf ball. Examples can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,750,744 to Michalec, U.S. Pat. No. 4,395,042 to Boswell, U.S. Pat. No. 2,455,185 to May, U.S. Pat. No. 2,220,492 to Piesco and U.S. Pat. No. 1,469,130 to Whitehair. These patents try to replicate actual golfing situations and can be intimidating to non-golfers or inexperienced golfers. Therefore, what is needed is an enjoyable golf game that while adding an element not present in the game of golf, it still promotes a player's skill by requiring accuracy and consistency.
The present invention is a golf game which is directed to golfers or non-golfers of all skills and ages. It adds an additional challenge to golf chipping skills by using a whiffle ball instead of a golf ball. The whiffle ball reacts differently when hit with a golf club than a regular golf ball. However, the player must still strive to be accurate and consistent when stroking the ball. The game also utilizes a variety of sizes of "targets", which represents golf balls, into which the whiffle ball may be aimed. The game is designed for 18 rounds with each player hitting three times per round. The players are assessed by the number of points they obtain. Each target is assigned points and the points increase with the difficulty of hitting the whiffle ball into the specific target.